Charles Leclerc couldn't mask his surprise as he relived the moment a trespassing cat forced the safety car to brake hard in front of him during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Sprint.
The first few laps of Saturday's short-form race took place behind the safety car after Yuki Tsunoda lost a tyre. But the runaway rubber was not the only danger on the track – as safety car driver Bernd Maylander found out.
The German had to take evasive action while leading the train of Formula 1 cars when he spotted the cat in the middle of the track. The fearless feline was clearly not put off by the sound of the roaring engines – but swiftly scarpered just as the safety car braked and swerved out of its way.
